The Earthquake In Chile

The Big Picture focuses its lens. Ben Casnocha, who has been living in Santiago for the last few months, gives his account of the earthquake:

In the late afternoon, I walked around my neighborhood a bit more. The
sky was a gray haze from a supposed chemical fire that had started
downtown. Nevertheless, I was amazed at the tranquility of Santiago.
Public buses full of people passed by. Cars drove calmly. People
chatting on the streets. I ate dinner at my favorite local restaurant
and it was full of people. Much of the rubble and glass I had seen
earlier had already been picked up. The scene was such a contrast from
the images on TV. I know what I saw was a million times better than
what the scene is like more north in Santiago, or especially in
Concepción and along the coast. Still it's a reminder that it's hard to
generalize about a situation in an entire country, let alone in one
city.

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